Abstract: In one embodiment, a processor supports an alternate address space during execution of non-guest code (such as a minivisor or a virtual machine monitor (VMM)). The alternate address space may be the guest address space. An instruction in the minivisor/VMM may specify the alternate address space for a data access, permitting the minivisor/VMM to read guest memory state via the alternate address space. In another embodiment, a processor may implement a page table base address register dedicated for the minivisor's use. In still another embodiment, the minivisor may be implemented as a specified entry point in the VMM address space.

Abstract: A memory system is disclosed with a nonvolatile memory adapted to store a file system containing file system information, and a controller adapted to read the file system information and perform a merge operation.

Abstract: Methods and arrangements for remapping the map between logical space and physical space in non-volatile storage are described. Embodiments include transformations, code, state machines or other logic to divide the non-volatile storage of the computing device into two portions, a fixed portion and a floating portion. The embodiments may also include remapping in system firmware of the computing device the current map from logical space to physical space of the floating portion of the non-volatile storage. The embodiments may also include storing the revised map. The embodiments may also include using the revised map to access the floating portion of the non-volatile storage.

Abstract: Systems and/or methods that facilitate accessing data to/from a memory are presented. An electronic memory component can operate with reduced data access times by eliminating/reducing the use of logical block addressing and employing physical block addressing. Data access is thereby directly associated with the physical location of the stored bits and the need to translate between a logical address and the physical address is reduced or eliminated. This can be even more efficient under asymmetric data access patterns. Further, legacy support for logical block addressing can be included to provide backward compatibility, mixed mode operation, or complimentary mode operation.

Abstract: A control mechanism for multi-functional chips is provided. By receiving operation signals from the predefined pins of the different operation functions, the present invention accesses the corresponding storage area in the memory module according to the operation signals without using different memory modules and memory controllers corresponding to different operation functions so as to save power and reduce the hardware size. For example, the MegaSIM™ multi-functional chip includes the integration of a plurality of operation functions, such as SD/MMC and ISO 7816. Each operation function uses different communication protocol to provide operation signals through individual to shared predefined pins. For example, MegaSIM™ I/O, Vpp/CLK, GND, CLK RST, and Vcc pins are used by ISO 7816, and Cmd, Data0, and Vpp/CLK pins are used by SD/MMC.

Abstract: Provided are an apparatus and a method of reducing memory access conflict. An apparatus for reducing memory access conflict when a plurality of data processing elements perform simultaneous access to a memory including a plurality of pages, each of which includes a plurality of subpages, the apparatus comprising: an access arbiter mapping a subpage division address corresponding to least significant bits of a memory access address received from each of the data processing elements to another address having a same number of bits as the subpage division address in order for data to be output from each of the subpages in a corresponding page at a time of the simultaneous access; and a selector, prepared for each of the pages, selecting to output one of the data output from the subpages using the mapped results.

Abstract: The storage control device of the present invention is able to perform input and output of data between blocks whose size is different with good efficiency. The size of extended logical blocks, which are units of data input and output within a storage control device, and the size of physical blocks, which are provided within the storage device, are different from one another. A write object range generation unit reads out both of the extended logical blocks which are adjacent to the write data, and creates a write object range by linking them to the write data. An assurance code checking unit checks a corresponding assurance code for each of these extended logical blocks. And a block size adjustment unit deletes superfluous data from the adjacent blocks, and adjusts the size of the write object range, so that it becomes an integral multiple of the size of the physical blocks.

Abstract: a data processing apparatus includes: an instruction execution section; an instruction protection information storage section that stores instruction protection information for specifying at least one partial address space in an instruction address space for storing instructions executed by the instruction execution section; a data protection information storage section that stores data protection information for specifying multiple partial address spaces in a data address space for storing operands for use in an operation of the instruction execution section; and a protection violation determination section that determines whether to permit access from the instruction execution section based on setting of the instruction and data protection information storage sections.

Abstract: An electronic apparatus in which a memory unit containing a memory and a controller to access the memory in response to an externally input command can be installed. The electronic apparatus comprises a first acquiring section which acquires identification information from the memory unit, a second acquiring section which, on the basis of the identification information acquired by the first acquiring section, acquires one from a plurality of control programs to control the controller of the memory unit, and a setting section which sets an operating environment so as to apply the control program acquired by the second acquiring section to the process of inputting and outputting data to and from the memory unit.

Abstract: Provided are a system and article of manufacture for providing an address format compatible with different addressing formats used for addressing different sized address spaces. An address format is used in an operating system to address storage space in a storage device comprising a first region and a second region of storage space. A first group of applications uses the address format to only address the storage space in the first region and is not coded to use the address format to access the second region and a second group of applications uses the address format to address the storage space in the first and second regions.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of configuring the byte structure of a memory storage device, including a flash memory device, to enhance the security and error correction capability is described. In one embodiment, the method includes increasing the security of data stored in the storage device by encrypting data with a unique initialization vector and storing the initialization vector in the storage device. The method also includes using a unique initialization vector for encrypting data, to be stored in each datablock, each time data are encrypted. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes an AES controller that includes encryption and decryption modules to encrypt and decrypt data prior to writing data to or reading from the storage device. The apparatus also includes an encoder module and decoder circuits to encode and decode data prior to writing or reading from memory storage devices.

Abstract: A portable storage device including a microprocessor and a secure user data area, the microprocessor operable to perform on-the-fly encryption/decryption of secure data stored on the storage device under a user password, the microprocessor also operable to exclude access to the secure user data area unless the user password is provided.

Abstract: There is a journal area and one or more logical volumes comprising a first logical volume. The journal area is a storage area in which is stored a journal data element, which is a data element that is stored in any storage area of a plurality of storage areas configuring a logical volume, or a data element that is written to the storage area. A controller has a size receiver that receives a write unit size, which is the size of a write data element received from a computer, and a size setting unit that sets the received write unit size in a memory for one or more logical volumes. The size of a journal data element stored in a journal area based on the set write unit size is the write unit size.

Abstract: An improved RAID storage system adapted to selectively and automatically store the same data “in tandem” using two different storage profiles. In one embodiment, a first store operation occurs in accordance with first storage profile and, if a flag in the first storage profile is set, a second store operation automatically occurs in accordance with a second storage profile but with the same data as stored in the first store operation. The first and second storage profiles are stored sequentially in profile registers within a controller in the storage system. To speed the tandem operation, the data may be held in a re-readable FIFO buffer in the controller. The buffer is sized to hold the minimum size of data that can be stored to the physical disks in the storage system. Preferably, the size of the buffer is substantially equal to the minimum size.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for allocating real memory to virtual memory page sizes when all real memory is in use is disclosed. In response to a page fault, a page frame for a virtual page is selected. In response to determining that said page does not represent a new page, a page is paged-in into said page frame a repaging rate for a page size of the page is modified in a repaging rates data structure.

Abstract: A memory controller (MC) is associated with a remapping table to enable access to content in a memory system that includes asymmetric memory. The MC receives a request for a memory read or an Input/Output (I/O) write from a central processing unit (CPU) for a physical address specified by the system's memory management unit (MMU). The CPU uses the MMU to manage memory operations for the CPU, by translating the virtual addresses associated with CPU instructions into physical addresses representing system memory or I/O locations. The MC for asymmetric memories is configured to process the MMU-specified physical addresses as an additional type of virtual addresses, creating a layer of abstraction between the physical address specified by the MMU and the physical memory address with which that address is associated by the MC. The MC shields the CPU from the computational complexities required to implement a memory system with asymmetric components.

Abstract: A virtual memory system implementing the invention provides concurrent access to translations for virtual addresses from multiple address spaces. One embodiment of the invention is implemented in a virtual computer system, in which a virtual machine monitor supports a virtual machine. In this embodiment, the invention provides concurrent access to translations for virtual addresses from the respective address spaces of both the virtual machine monitor and the virtual machine. Multiple page tables contain the translations for the multiple address spaces. Information about an operating state of the computer system, as well as an address space identifier, are used to determine whether, and under what circumstances, an attempted memory access is permissible. If the attempted memory access is permissible, the address space identifier is also used to determine which of the multiple page tables contains the translation for the attempted memory access.

Abstract: A nonvolatile programmable logic circuit using a ferroelectric memory performs a nonvolatile memory function and an operation function without additional memory devices, thereby reducing power consumption. Also, a nonvolatile ferroelectric memory is applied to a FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), thereby preventing leakage of internal data and reducing the area of a chip.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device comprises: a memory part which has a plurality of memory blocks having a memory cell capable of storing a plurality of different kinds of data which require a memory area having different characteristics, and a memory controller which has a function of treating each of the memory blocks as a deletion unit in order to manage the memory part and converting a logic address of the memory part to a physical address identifying the memory block, and which replaces the memory block with a preregistered free block in rewriting the memory block. The memory controller manages the different kinds of data to be stored in the memory part so as to store the same kind of data as before, even after each of the memories and free blocks in the memory part are rewritten.

Abstract: A data protection method suitable for a plurality of physical blocks mapped to a logical block in a non-volatile memory is provided. The data protection method includes recording data update information in each of the physical blocks for identifying an update relationship of the physical blocks and re-establishing the update relationship of the physical blocks according to the data update information. The data update information is composed of a plurality of words having a circular relationship, and the number of these words is greater than the number of the physical blocks. The data update information is sequentially recorded in each of the physical blocks according to the update relationship and the circular relationship.

Abstract: A system allows one or more hybrid hard disks or any other storage devices to share a logical nonvolatile device formed by one or more non-volatile memory devices. The system comprises a control logic to reserve on a hybrid hard disk a space that corresponds to a non-volatile memory device in the hybrid hard disk and to use a space access instruction to access the non-volatile memory device. The control logic accesses the logical non-volatile memory device in an event that a content of a storage device is stored in the logical non-volatile memory device in response to an instruction to access the storage device.

Abstract: In a method embodiment, a method includes periodically polling data sent to an output. The output is operable to render the data into a human-perceptible form. The method further includes determining if at least one partition of a first plurality of discrete partitions of the perdiodically polled data is substantially identical to a combination of respective portions of at least two partitions of a second plurality of discrete partitions of data recorded within a computer-readable storage.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for managing buffer allocations in a multiple processor computer system. A cache invalidate command is issued in response to a buffer allocation from a remote processor, wherein the cache lines present in the buffer allocation must be invalidated by the remote processor before data can be stored therein. The remote invalidate command specifies multiple cache lines to support invalidation of the specified multiple cache lines in a single communication. Following confirmation of invalidation of the cache lines, the processing to which the buffer has been allocated can write data to the invalidated cache lines.

Abstract: A method for mapping a write operation of an RAID device, includes flowing steps, initiating a mirroring device built in each member disk of the RAID device; activating a kernel thread, for monitoring the operation state of the RAID device, and recording current usage information; and if an incorrect write operation occurs to a member disk of the RAID device, storing the data of the incorrect write operation into a mirroring device of another member disk of the RAID device through the kernel thread. The method ensures the integrity and safety of the data stored in the RAID device and prevents the data from being lost when the member disk of the RAID device is replaced or severely damaged.

Abstract: Simplification of run-time program translation for emulating complex processor pipelines is disclosed. Problem of dynamic pipeline states are moved into a cache lookup process leaving a code translation process to deal only with static pipeline states. With dynamic pipeline states removed from the translation process, translation becomes more simple and efficient like that of a non-pipelined processor.

Abstract: A storage apparatus includes a storage unit and a controller, wherein control of inputting/outputting data from/to a device provided in said storage unit is executed in accordance with a request received by said storage apparatus. An actual device of the storage apparatus corresponds to a virtual device which is external to said storage apparatus. The controller operates to perform a process for mapping an actual device address corresponding to a virtual device address, in accordance with a specification of the actual device to be mounted or unmounted to correspond to the virtual device, and storing and retaining mapping information obtained from the mapping in a first table. The controller also performs data input/output process for receiving, an access request for data input/output in which said virtual device address is specified, obtaining the actual device address mapped to said specified virtual device address in said first table, and accessing the actual device by said obtained actual device address.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method including receiving a set of data having a mapping. The set of data has groups of subsets of data. The mapping describes in what order the groups of subsets of data are to be stored in a memory. The mapping also describes the offsets of the groups of subsets of data in the memory. The mapping is not changed when the set of data is stored in the memory. The method also includes determining a starting address for the set of data. The starting address corresponds to an address in the memory. The starting address is determined such that an optimum number of subsets of data in the groups of subsets of data are aligned. The method also includes storing the set of data in the memory, wherein the mapping is unaffected when the set of data is stored in the memory.

Abstract: A microcontroller includes a plurality of primary registers, a secondary register and a central processing unit (CPU). The primary registers store a plurality of primary data respectively. Each primary data has a first width. The secondary register includes the plurality of primary registers and stores a secondary data having a second width. The secondary data includes a combination of the plurality of primary data. The CPU executes a first instruction in a first mode in which a primary data is fetched for operation and executes a second instruction in a second mode in which the secondary data is fetched for operation.

Abstract: Provided are a method and apparatus capable of reducing a metadata processing time associated with address mapping performed to input/output burst data at a high speed in a virtual file system of a storage unit having a plurality of non-volatile data storage media. The method includes: determining a block group including a block included in each of a plurality of the non-volatile data storage media; determining an access unit including each page included in the determined block group; and mapping an address of input/output data to the determined block group and the access unit. Therefore, it is possible to significantly reduce an address mapping processing time in the virtual file system that may function as a bottleneck in high-speed input/output in a large-capacity storage unit.

Abstract: A system and method for parallel scanning among multiple scanning entities. According to various embodiments of the present invention, buffers are allocated from a pool of memory pages, with one packet being located on each page. Each of the pages is mapped such that unprivileged scanners, privileged scanners, and hardware-based scanners are all capable of accessing the pages. By having the packets located on separate pages, additional data other than the packets at issue do not have to be shared, and copying is not necessary to complete the scanning process.

Abstract: A method and system for detecting matching strings in a string of characters utilizing content addressable memory using primary and secondary matches is disclosed.

Abstract: Where a computing device is provided with executable programs in relatively slow non-volatile memory, such as ROM, the device performance can be improved by shadowing, a process by which those programs are copied into relatively fast volatile memory, such as RAM. Shadowing is often inefficient because code is copied that is too infrequently used to benefit from the procedure, wasting processing time and memory. The present invention determines which parts of the slow memory are most frequently accessed, either by profiling or by intimate knowledge of the working of the device, and then shadows only those pages of executable programs whose frequent use warrants it. In a preferred embodiment the most frequently used code areas are clustered together onto certain pages of the non-volatile memory and the least frequently used code areas are clustered onto other pages of non-volatile memory.

Abstract: A data storage device has a data storage medium. A data storage capacity of the data storage device is divided into slices. Each slice has a set of sectors. Data storage device firmware is configured to store copies of a system image in the slices on the data storage device. Each of the slices stores a different copy of the system image.

Abstract: A disk formatter includes an address module for creating disk block address data corresponding to a disk sector of a disk drive. A sector write module initiates a physical mode write operation to the disk sector that incorporates the corresponding disk block address data.

Abstract: A multi-processor system comprises at least one host processor, which may comprise a fixed instruction set, such as the well-known x86 instruction set. The system further comprises at least one co-processor, which comprises dynamically reconfigurable logic that enables the co-processor's instruction set to be dynamically reconfigured. In this manner, the at least one host processor and the at least one dynamically reconfigurable co-processor are heterogeneous processors having different instruction sets. Further, cache coherency is maintained between the heterogeneous host and co-processors. And, a single executable file may contain instructions that are processed by the multi-processor system, wherein a portion of the instructions are processed by the host processor and a portion of the instructions are processed by the co-processor.

Abstract: Apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed that operate within a memory to execute internal commands, to suspend the execution of commands during a transfer period, and to execute external commands following the transfer period. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

Abstract: A system comprises a system interface to receive one or more instruction sets from a microcontroller and to receive digital data to be processed. The system further comprises a controller that is reconfigurable according to the one or more instruction sets received by the system interface. The system further comprises a data path device to perform digital filtering operations on the digital data as directed by the controller according to the reconfiguration of the controller by the one or more instruction sets.

Abstract: A memory controller receives read requests from a processor into a read queue. The memory controller dynamically modifies an order of servicing the requests based on how many pending requests are in the read queue. When the read queue is relatively empty, requests are serviced oldest first to minimize latency. When the read queue becomes fuller, requests are serviced in a manner that maximizes throughput on a memory bus to reduce the likelihood that the read queue will become full and further requests from the processor would have to be halted.

Abstract: A data processing apparatus is provided comprising a memory, memory management unit and identification circuitry for identifying a predetermined type of data access transaction within a plurality of received data access transactions. The memory management unit is responsive to the predetermined type of data access transaction to both permit completion of a data access and to cause an exception to be raised despite completion of the data access having been permitted.

Abstract: In a nonvolatile memory with block management system that supports update blocks with non-sequential logical units, an index of the logical units in a non-sequential update block is buffered in RAM and stored periodically into the nonvolatile memory. In one embodiment, the index is stored in a block dedicated for storing indices. In another embodiment, the index is stored in the update block itself. In yet another embodiment, the index is stored in the header of each logical unit. In another aspect, the logical units written after the last index update but before the next have their indexing information stored in the header of each logical unit. In this way, after a power outage, the location of recently written logical units can be determined without having to perform a scanning during initialization. In yet another aspect, a block is managed as partially sequential and partially non-sequential, directed to more than one logical subgroup.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods provide associative mapping of the blocks of two or more memory arrays such that data, such as pages of data, from the good blocks of the two or more memory arrays can be read in an alternating manner for speed or can be read in parallel for providing data to relatively wide data channels. This obviates the need for processor intervention to access data and can increase the throughput of data by providing, where configured, the ability to alternate reading of data from two or more arrays. For example, while one array is loading data to a cache, the memory device can be providing data that has already been loaded to the cache.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for providing a data eye monitor. The data eye monitor apparatus utilizes an inverter/latch string circuit and a set of latches to save the data eye for providing an infinite persistent data eye. In operation, incoming read data signals are adjusted in the first stage individually and latched to provide the read data to the requesting unit. The data is also simultaneously fed into a balanced XOR tree to combine the transitions of all incoming read data signals into a single signal. This signal is passed along a delay chain and tapped at constant intervals. The tap points are fed into latches, capturing the transitions at a delay element interval resolution. Using XORs, differences between adjacent taps and therefore transitions are detected. The eye is defined by segments that show no transitions over a series of samples. The eye size and position can be used to readjust the delay of incoming signals and/or to control environment parameters like voltage, clock speed and temperature.

Abstract: A programmable memory system and method for enabling one or more processor devices access to shared memory in a computing environment, the shared memory including one or more memory storage structures having addressable locations for storing data. The system comprises: one or more first logic devices associated with a respective one or more processor devices, each first logic device for receiving physical memory address signals and programmable for generating a respective memory storage structure select signal upon receipt of pre-determined address bit values at selected physical memory address bit locations; and, a second logic device responsive to each the respective select signal for generating an address signal used for selecting a memory storage structure for processor access. The system thus enables each processor device of a computing environment memory storage access distributed across the one or more memory storage structures.

Abstract: A method for memory address arrangement is provided. Data of different Y coordinates is moved to operation units divided by different X coordinates, or data of different X coordinates is moved to operation units divided by different Y coordinates, so as to realize the function of simultaneously longitudinally and laterally reading and writing a plurality of batches of data, thereby preventing the limitation of only longitudinally or laterally reading and writing a plurality of batches of data.

Abstract: In a data read-and-write controlling device, without waiting for confirmation that data is written in a RAM, data is written in a WER and an ADR, and at the same time, address information of the data is written in the RAM write-information table. That is, the data read-and-write controlling device associates an address retained at a data register of a write controlling unit with the value (a write request is present=“1”) of a write request that makes a request for writing data in the RAM, the value being retained in a write request register, and then causes the result to be stored in the RAM write-information table as the address information.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed to recording digital data on an optically ablatable digital storage media. In one embodiment, a device configured to ablate portions of ablatable material on an optically ablatable digital storage media receives digital data that is to be recorded on a recording layer of an optically ablatable digital storage media. The recording layer is formed on a substrate with zero or more intervening layers between the recording layer and the substrate. The recording layer includes ablatable material capable of storing digital data. The device ablates the ablatable material in the recording layer according to a sequence defined by the received digital data such that the ablated portions correspond to data points of the received digital data.

Abstract: A processor cache is indexed by a group of distinct page colors. The use of this cache by different working sets is controlled using page coloring. Translations of virtual addresses of the instructions and/or data of a working set are constrained to physical addresses the page colors of which are in a subgroup of the group of distinct page colors.

Abstract: A method and system for interfacing a system operating through a logical address space with a direct file storage (DFS) medium is disclosed. The method includes receiving data associated with addresses in a logical block address (LBA) format from a host system and generating file objects manageable by the DFS medium based on a determination of the correlation of the LBA data to host file data. The memory system includes non-volatile memory using the DFS format, an interface for receiving LBA format data, and a controller configured to communicate with the host via an LBA interface and generate file objects from the LBA format data correlated to the host application files usable by the memory system.

Abstract: The present invention provides for a method, system, and computer program product for managing the storage of data. Data is selectively compressed based on a pre-defined compression policy and metadata is stored for physical storage blocks. A stored compression policy identifies at least one criterion for compression, and physical blocks of data meeting the compression policy are identified. A physical block is selected as a source block for data compression, and one or more physical locations are selected as target locations. Data is read from the source block, compressed, and written to the target locations. Metadata is updated to indicate a mapping between the target locations and the virtual blocks previously mapped to the source block. Extra storage capacity can be freed up until more physical storage is ordered and installed, while more important data, such as recently or frequently accessed data, is retained in an uncompressed and accessible state.

Abstract: A hardware implemented transactional memory system includes a mechanism to allow multiple processors to access the same memory system. A set of timestamps are stored that each correspond to a region of memory. A time stamp is updated when any memory in its associated region is updated. For each memory transaction, the time at which the transaction begins is recorded. Write operations that are part of a transaction are performed by writing the data to temporary memory. When a transaction is to be recorded, the hardware automatically commits the transaction by determining whether the timestamps associated with data read for the transaction are all prior to the start time for the transaction. In this manner, the software need not check the data for all other processes or otherwise manage collision of data with respect to different processes. The software need only identify which reads and writes are part of a transaction.